Triest Talk

Shopping for the most competitive home insurance can be frustrating and confusing because there is not one insurance company that provides the best rates for home insurance to all areas of the Lowcountry. It would seem on the surface to most homeowners that an insurance company can simply offer a policy to any type of home and in any place in the Lowcountry, but this is not true because insurance companies design policies based on different underwriting criteria. The premium charged is determined by many factors like the age of the home; the condition; the type of roof; the type of exterior; past claims on the house; the condition of the HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems to name a few. Some insurance companies market policies that are competitive to one type of house but may not be for another. This can be rather complicated but the job of your insurance agent is to sort out these factors to find you the most coverage for your dollar. There is not one insurance company that will be the cheapest or best value for greater Charleston suburban areas, historic Charleston and the barrier Islands; therefore, we've addressed each area when giving what we have found to be the most competitive insurance companies.

West Ashley, Mt Pleasant, North Charleston, Summerville, Johns Island, James Island: The typical suburban home in Charleston has wood siding, hardiplank, brick veneer or stucco on the exterior walls; a fiberglass archtectual shingle roof and no historic elements. Lucky for you because the premiums are generally lower for these types of houses! Some of the insurance companies offering the most competitive premiums for these homes would be Gulfstream, Federated, Homeowners Insurance Company of America, Lighthouse, Capitol Preferred and St Johns. New homes in neighborhoods like Carolina Bay, Magnolia Bluff, Sweetwater, Grand Oaks, Bolton's Landing, Fenwick Woods, Brownswood Village, Lakeside Park, Sea Island Farm, Daniel Island and others can get the lowest premiums that we've seen in many years. Many of these companies offering an attractive discount to bundle the auto insurance with the same agency that provides the homeowners insurance.

​"Triest was able to save me some significant premium dollars off my homeowners, auto and flood insurance. I saved around 28% off my auto insurance, 34% off the nearest competitors homeowners insurance and an astounding 50% off my flood insurance. .."Neal S., customer since 2016

Sullivans Island, Isle of Palms, Kiawah, Seabrook and Folly Beach: Insuring a home on the barrier islands requires an agent who understands the unique issues. One key issue we've found is some people are not being advised to buy a homeowners policy that includes wind coverage. That can be a costly mistake. These are homeowners on the islands who still have one policy for the house excluding wind and a policy for wind with the SC Windstorm Association. This is not the best alternative. The SC Windstorm Association does an outstanding job but this is the "market of last resort". If you can get a home insurance policy including wind, then you don't need to buy the SC Windstorm Association policy. The Association was established to provide coverage if there are no insurance companies willing to insure your house. Some of the least expensive home insurance companies for the islands that include wind coverage are Lexington, AIG, Lloyds of London, Gulfstream to name a few. There are others that we can quote for you. Don't be fooled into thinking that your policy includes wind coverage if you don't have a wind policy. Read your policy and meet with your insurance agent to discuss the coverages provided and those that are not provided.

​"​Linda was fantastic and I felt like she was truly looking to find the best product for me and not for the best product for her to sell me. She has exceeded my expectations with response time again and again!"Customer since 2017

Charleston peninsula: Insuring the historic or old homes downtown can be tricky. The cheapest premiums right now can be found with Occidental, Federated and AIG Private Client. I would need more information on your house to provide a more detailed list and narrow it down to the lowest premium we could find. If the house has been completely updated which means the electrical, roof, HVAC and plumbing are new or relatively new then this helps us to shop coverage with the lowest cost plans. Old homes which are one's downtown over 50 years old and sometimes 150 years old that don't have these updates are still eligible for competitive home insurance but the house still must be well maintained.

Larry Freudenberg, President and Lillie

Larry Freudenberg

Mr. Freudenberg is the owner of Triest Agency. He has over 30 years of experience as an insurance agent and agency owner. Mr. Freudenberg has a Bachelors of Business Administration Degree from the Terry School of Business at the University of Georgia and lives in West Ashley with his wife of 35 years and their Golden Doodle, Lillie who comes to work at the agency and provides an abundance of love to all visitors.

Coverage and discounts not available in all situations. All coverage is subject to policy terms and conditions of the insurance company. Triest Agency is a licensed property & casualty insurance agency in South Carolina. As an insurance agency, Triest Agency does not underwrite for the insurance companies; therefore, all underwriting decisions are made by the insurance company. Triest Agency can provide a detailed quote for a specific home. This article was prepared to assist people looking for a home insurance company in South Carolina to insure their property and is meant to be generalized information. Larry Freudenberg is a licensed South Carolina property and casualty insurance agent and surplus lines broker who works exclusively with Triest & Sholk Inc. dba Triest Agency in Charleston, SC.